


He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

by IBoatedHere



Category: Turn (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 14:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6287641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IBoatedHere/pseuds/IBoatedHere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The bell above the door chimes. Caleb looks up and falls in love. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Or the flower shop AU that literally no one asked for but I'm forcing on all of you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

The bell above the door chimes.

Caleb looks up and falls in love. 

He’s tall and young and immaculately dressed in fitted black trousers and a black coat which is unbuttoned just enough to see a hint of a white dress shirt behind the navy scarf that’s wrapped around his neck. 

He holds the door for one of Caleb’s regulars, Ruth, who comes in every week to buy a bouquet of chrysanthemums to bring to her sister who is in a nursing home two blocks away. She tells Caleb story after story (Caleb has heard them all before- she tells the same ones every week but doesn't remember) about the two of them growing up on a farm in Maryland. She always leaves looking a little sullen no matter how many dumb jokes Caleb makes trying to make her smile. She looks up at the man and smiles. They exchange a few words and Ruth bats him on the arm with her hand and smiles even harder and laughs, loud and clear, when the guy winks at her.

The bell chimes one more time as it closes behind him and Caleb has about fifteen feet before he needs to get his shit together. 

It doesn’t happen in time.

“Hi,” The guy steps up to the counter and Caleb stares. 

He’s better up close. Caleb can see the clear blue of his eyes and the shape of his cheekbones. His lips look slightly chapped and wet, like he’s been worrying at them with his teeth. 

“This is really short notice and I don’t know if you can help me…”

He drags his tongue across his lower lip. 

“I’m not usually the person that handles this kind of thing but she’s out sick and I didn’t realize we needed flowers until an hour ago and every other place I went said they needed at least 24 hours notice for the order and the event is in three hours so this is kind of a last ditch effort to figure it out.”

He taps his fingers against the counter. The sound is muffled by the black gloves he’s wearing. 

“If you can’t help me that’s fine, I’ll figure it out. I’ll go to the grocery store or something and buy a whole bunch of bouquets…”

“Don’t do that,” Caleb snaps to life. “You need it in three hours?”

“Will it take that long?”

“What exactly are you looking for?”

“Just a centerpiece. Only one.”

“What size?”

The guy shrugs and sheepishly says “I have no idea.” 

“Do you have a color scheme?”

“I have no idea. Is that awful? Everything in here looks great so I’m putting my trust in you. Really. This is a last minute thing and there’s no pressure on you at all. As long as I leave here with something…” He trails off and Caleb nods.

“Alright. I’ll see what I can do for you.”

Twenty minutes later Caleb gets his attention. He’s been standing in the corner near the front window, keeping himself out of the way of the other customers and bumming wifi off the Starbucks next door. Caleb would have suggested that he head over there and get himself a coffee- the wifi would be faster- but Caleb has been watching him out of the corner of his eye the whole time and the view is too good to give up. 

Caleb slides an arrangement of white, pink, and red, gloxinias across the counter. 

“This is great,” He says. “I can’t believe this only took you what,” He glances down at his watch. The guy wears a watch. “Twenty minutes. This took you twenty minutes.”

“It’s kind of my job.” 

It would’ve taken him ten minutes but….the view.

“Well you’re really good at it,” The guy laughs then reaches into his coat pocket for his wallet. “You picked the right profession.”

He hands over his credit card and Caleb takes it. Their fingers don’t touch. 

The name on the card is Benjamin Tallmadge and Caleb commits it to memory as he gives it and his receipt back. 

“Thank you again,” Benjamin says as he gathers the vase into his arms. One of the flowers is nudged out of position and Caleb leans across the counter to fix it. His knuckles brush against the rough wool of his coat. It’s warm. He can feel his chest rising as he breathes. “If I ever encounter another flower emergency…”

“You know where to find me.”

****

Benjamin comes back the following day. 

Caleb’s in the middle of a consultation with a young couple about which flowers would be best for their outdoor spring wedding when he walks in. 

He sees Caleb, waves and smiles then pretends to look very interested in the yellow rose display near the counter. He slowly makes his way to the corner by the window again and takes out his phone and twenty minutes later the couple is leaving and it’s just the two of them.

“Another emergency.”

“No, not an emergency,” He slips his phone into his pocket. “This event is a week out.”

“I thought you said getting flowers wasn’t your job.”

“It wasn’t. But now it is. Everyone loved your arrangement. Seven different people fought over who was going to take it home. Thank you again for that, Caleb.”

Caleb's eyebrows pinch together. 

“It's on your name tag.”

Caleb glances down at the tag on his green apron. He forgot he even wears. Everyone knows his name. 

“I'm Ben.”

“I know.”

Ben's eyebrows pinch. 

“It was on your card.” 

Ben places an order for 12 arrangements. 

“It's for my office.”

“Your office? This is a lot of flowers for an office.”

Ben shrugs. 

“What do you do?”

“It's a boring, government job. Not a big deal. I'm fairly low ranking.”

“You’re assigned to get floral arrangements.”

“And coffee, dry cleaning, and lunch.”

“All important stuff. You know we can deliver if that's easier.” 

“It's easier this way.” 

“It's easier for you to pack 12 arrangements in your SUV than it is for us to bring them for you?” 

“My office is strict. Tight security. A lot of ID checks and badges. I don't want to put you through that.”

Caleb understands. A few years ago he had to deliver flowers to the White House. It took him and Anna two hours to get through security because the flowers messed with the bomb sniffing dogs. They had to take everything out of the delivery van then put it all back in. It was a nightmare and by the time they drove out of the gates the novelty of providing flowers for the president had worn off. They didn’t get they hired again. 

“You have any idea what you want?”

“Nope,” He laughs, clear and bright. 

“You want them all the same different?” He takes one look at Ben’s face and knows figures out the answer. “You don’t know, okay, that’s fine.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s refreshing. The women I was just meeting with brought a vision board with them.”

“I’ll do my best to keep you on your toes.”

*****

“You know my hair used to be a lot longer.”

Ben has been in a half a dozen times since their first meeting. Sometimes he heads over to the corner for the wifi and sits (Caleb casually rearranged the store to put an old armchair there for him and told Anna not to worry about it when she questioned it) and catches up on emails or texts or whatever he needs to do for his boring government job. Other times he’ll head over to Starbucks and grab the both of them a coffee. No matter how many times Caleb tells him he doesn’t need anything Ben always comes back with a latte and a cookie for him. Caleb’s favorite are when he stands at the counter making small talk, which is never forced or awkward, and watches him work. Every time he comes in Caleb asks him if he has an idea about what kind of flowers he wants and every time he leaves it up to him to decide. Caleb doesn't mind. He enjoys the freedom and the company. 

Today he’s leaning his elbows on the counter watching Caleb snip through the stems of camellias. 

He offered up that bit of trivia about himself completely out of the blue. 

“Really?”

“Yeah. Down to my shoulders all through college. I even went on a few interviews with it. My dad said I should cut it and after awhile of being unemployed I did it and I started getting offers.”

“I can't see it.”

“I have pictures. I”ll have to show them to you sometime. You can tell me how much better I look now.”

Caleb smiles and nods and thinks _you’d look good no matter what._

“You know I used to be clean shaven.”

“Now that I can’t see.”

“It’s true. Turns out the army has a rule against it. I almost cried when I had to shave it off.”

Ben laughs. “Must have been strange to come back to this.”

It was. It took him months to figure out how to sleep without his rifle next to him and fireworks still bother him sometimes. This place has been a blessing. His grandmother used to own it and passed it down when she died. If Caleb didn’t take it over that Starbucks next door would have been here instead. 

He tells Ben, “No one is trying to kill me here, so…” and Ben seems to sense his discomfort and leans on the counter, rubs his fingers against his jawline and says “You know, I can’t grow a beard no matter how hard I try.”

“That’s because you have a baby face.”

Ben’s mouth drops open in surprise and then he’s smiling so wide it has to hurt. It hurts Caleb just looking at it in the best possible way. 

Caleb wants to ask him out. He’s fairly certain he’d say yes and even if he wasn’t interested in him he’s so polite he’d be nice about it. They could still be friends or acquaintances or whatever the hell they are. Ben needs flowers. Caleb is a florist. They have a symbiotic relationship. Ben’s not going to take his business elsewhere. He won’t let things get awkward. 

He adds white violets to fill in the spaces then slides it down the counter to Ben then takes a deep breath and says “Do you think you’d want to-.”

Ben’s phone rings. He rolls his eyes and says “God, I’m so sorry. Work has been crazy,” He types out a text and sets it down on the counter, his hand hovering over it like he expects it to go off again at any moment. “What were you saying?”

He’s very busy. He doesn’t have time to go out with Caleb. Caleb is his florist. He’s here because he has to be, not because he wants to be. 

“You know, I forgot.”

Caleb thinks he sees a flash of disappointment across his face. 

“Okay,” He starts to walk backwards towards the door. He's smiling again and Caleb can't look away. “If you think of it let me know.”

*****

“What's the deal with all of these?” Ben asks, pointing to the photos on the wall. Caleb is at the counter putting on the final touches of a bouquet. He hasn't even gotten to Ben's yet but he doesn't seem to mind waiting around. “I've been meaning to ask you.”

“Those are all the couples whose weddings I've done.”

“How many of them are still together?”

“Wow. I wasn't expecting that kind of cynicism from you. You get burned by someone?” He wants to take it back as soon as it’s out and it gets worse when Ben doesn’t say anything. He just lets his gaze slide off the photos and down to his feet. 

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry.”

“It's fine,” He says lightly. “I was just wondering. Statically speaking-.”

Caleb groans. “Statistics are just numbers.”

“They're facts.” 

“They're something people cite when they try to talk themselves out of doing something. Do you think any of those people cared what the statistics said when they decided to get married? No way.”

“I didn’t know you were such a romantic.”

“I like thinking that things can work out. That people can stay.” 

“I’ll have to take your word for it.”

Caleb wants to know everything. What happened to him to make him think that and what he can do to make it better. 

Instead he watches Ben turn away from the photos and Caleb goes back to work. 

Ten minutes later he hands him a small vase filled with blue violets. 

“They’re all still together, by the way,” He tells Ben before he lets go of the vase completely. “Sometimes things work out.”

*****

The shop has been closed for fifteen minutes when the phone rings. He doesn’t want to pick up. He's had a long day. No matter how long he takes to prepare Valentine’s Day kicks his ass every year. It rings three more times before he gives in. 

Ben starts speaking before Caleb says anything. 

“Oh Caleb, thank god.”

“Ben?”

“Yes, I can't believe you're still open.” 

“I closed at 8 but…”

“Shit. Dammit. Okay, that's fine, I'll figure it out.”

“I can help you out though. What do you need?”

“I can't ask you to do that.”

“You're not, I'm telling you. What can I do for you?”

“I forgot Valentine's Day because I'm an idiot.”

Caleb never should have picked up the phone. 

“There's been so much going on at work and I forgot. I even set a reminder on my phone but I think I deleted it to make room for down thing else and now my-.”

The phone cuts out or Caleb can't hear him anymore over the sound of his heart shattering. 

“Caleb, hey, can you hear me?” 

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Sometimes this phone cuts out. I said I-.”

“You forgot Valentine's Day. I got it. I'm assuming you want roses.”

“Caleb, I'll take anything you give me.” 

He presses his lips into a thin line. 

“You probably want the biggest size.”

“Yes. I can't believe you're doing this for me. You really don't have to, I'll go to the grocery store and get something there. Don't be afraid to tell me to leave you alone.”

“I said I'd help you and I meant it. I'll make you the biggest bouquet I can.”

“I don't care about the cost. And charge me extra for keeping you there late.”

“There's no need for that.”

“We’ll argue about it when I get there, see you in a few.”

He hangs up and it takes a few moments for Caleb to put down the phone. 

“Thank you, Caleb, thank you, thank you, thank you,” Ben comes tearing into the shop, the door slamming shut behind him. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. You’re my hero. I don’t know what I would do without you,” He hands over his card before he even sees the bouquet. It’s two dozen long stemmed red roses. Classic and elegant. Just like Caleb imagines the woman receiving them will be. “You’re amazing and you’re charging me extra, right?” 

“No,” He puts a card and a pen down in front of him. “Do you want to write a note.”

“That would be great and you need to charge me extra.” 

He watches as Ben takes a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket and starts to carefully copy it down into the card. 

“Seriously,” He says, still concentrating on writing. “You could be home by now.”

“I didn't have plans.”

“Neither did I until I remembered what day it was.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Ben gives him the card back and Caleb can’t help but read it. 

_‘I retain an unalterable affection for you, which neither time or distance can change.’_

“I'll owe you then. Big time,” He gathers it into his arms. “We should go out for a drink sometime. My treat.”

An hour ago hearing those words would've made Caleb's day. 

He means as a friend. A buddy. To repay a favor.

“Yeah, maybe, sometime.” 

“Great, that’s great. Thank you again.”

“Stop thanking me.”

“Nope, never,” his phone buzzes in his pocket. “I have to go. Happy Valentine's Day, Caleb.”

He’s out the door and into his car before Caleb can say anything. 

*****

Ben comes in first thing the next morning, circles under his eyes and yawning like he didn’t get much sleep last night. Like he spent it awake and engaged with his girlfriend. 

Caleb wants to duck behind the counter and pretend he’s not here. 

“Good morning, Caleb,” He says around another yawn, unintentionally rubbing Caleb’s face in it. “I needed to come and thank you again.”

“I take it she liked the flowers.”

“Loved them. You saved the day. You saved my life,” He laughs. “You’re my hero. I was _thisclose_ to going to CVS to buy one of those heart shaped boxes of chocolates. Can you imagine if I had done that?”

Caleb can’t. Caleb’s _thisclose_ to lying face down on the ground. 

“I’m going to grab some coffee,” He jerks his thumb towards the wall. “You want something?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

“You say that every time but I know-.”

“Ben,” Caleb snaps and Ben frowns. “I don’t want anything. I’m really busy so unless you have an order you need to place I don’t have time to chat.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Do you need something?”

Caleb fills his order. Yellow hyacinth and petunias then waits for Anna to come in to tell her he’s not feeling well and will be taking the rest of the day off. 

*****

“Your boyfriend missed you yesterday. He was so upset that you weren’t there. It was adorable. I told him you weren’t feeling well and I thought he was going to ask for your address so he could bring you soup.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Not yet.” 

“I sold him two dozen red roses for his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day.”

“No way.”

“Yup. I got a call from him after closing. He was in a panic and said he forgot what day it was.”

“He forgot Valentine’s Day?”

“Yeah.. I made him something and he filled out a card. It was nice. Simple and poetic. He came in yesterday and told me how much she loved them so…”

“This is so disappointing. I’m sorry Caleb. I wouldn’t have been talking about him so much if I had known or if I had gotten that vibe off of him. Damn. Hey, maybe they’ll break up.”

“Anna.”

“People break up all the time and he does seem to really like you and I know you like him.

“It doesn’t matter if I like him. I need to stop crushing on pretty straight boys who have pretty girlfriends.”

“You saw her? That unfeeling forgetful bastard showed you a picture of her?”

“No, but you've seen him. She has to be pretty.” 

“I really am sorry. I can take care of him if he comes in again. You can duck out the back and I’ll tell him you’re on a delivery.”

“Don’t do that. I can handle it. If he even comes back. I was a little off with him yesterday. I never should have gone home. I should have sucked it up and faced him. Now it’s going to be awkward.”

“He’s coming back. He placed an order yesterday. I put it on top for you. He didn’t know what he wanted.”

“He never does,” Caleb says as he grabs his order off the pile. 

*****

Hours later Ben waits in line to pick up his order. It’s a visual countdown until they’re face to face. 

“So,” He clears his throat and tugs at the cuffs on his jacket, looking more nervous than he has ever seen him. “About that drink.”

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to,” Caleb immediately jumps in then grabs the gardenias he’s prepared for him. When he turns back around Ben looks crestfallen. 

“Oh.”

“I really am busy. I’ll probably be here late most nights.”

“Okay, that’s okay, I just thought it might be fun.”

“Yeah, but…” He shrugs. “I don't think it's a good idea.” 

“I understand completely. I just had to ask,” He taps his fingers against the vase. “I’ll see you later, Caleb. Have a good day,” and basically runs from the store. 

*****

He starts calling in his orders and picking them up without saying much. Sometimes he’ll slip in and out of the shop without Caleb even knowing. He’ll turn around and Ben’s arrangement will be gone and the only thing Caleb sees of him is his back as he’s walking out the door. 

“He didn’t ask for you,” Anna tells him. “I’m sorry.”

“He knows I’m busy.”

He watches him get into his car and goes back to work, ignoring Anna’s pitying look. 

*****

“Shit.”

“Hello to you too,” Ben tries to joke but it falls flat. Ben’s on his lunch break and coming into pick up his order but his order isn’t ready. 

“I forgot about you.”

Ben looks seriously wounded. 

“I usually do yours last because it doesn't take me that long but I had a couple come in and demand my attention so it slipped my mind. I'll get right on it though, it shouldn't take more than ten minutes. I'm really sorry.”

“It's okay, Caleb. Don't worry, I'll just-.” 

His phone rings and he closes his eyes as he digs through his pockets and for the first time Caleb notices how tired he looks. 

He watches Ben talk. He's speaking quietly enough that Caleb can't hear him over the hum of the refrigerator but he knows it has to be a serious conversation. He keeps tension in his shoulders and his mouth pulled into a frown. He makes wide gestures with his hands and rolls his eyes. 

Every time he looks towards Caleb and catches his eye he looks away. 

Caleb trades the azaleas for his card and Ben leaves without a smile in his direction. 

*****

Caleb doesn’t see him for a month. 

It’s unsettling. He made it his whole life without him and now he can’t stop his head from snapping up and looking towards the door whenever he hears the bell chime. 

“You don’t know where he is?”

“Nope.”

“Maybe he’s on vacation.”

“That’s a long vacation.”

“Maybe it’s work related.”

“He said his job was boring and that he wasn’t high up on the ladder. What kind of position like that makes you leave town for a month?”

“Maybe-.”

“Maybe,” Caleb cuts her off and looks up from the pink camellia arrangement he’s working on. “Maybe I’m just a florist and he’s just a customer and we won’t see each other ever again.”

***** 

Suddenly he’s in the store again. The bell above the door ringing and giving him away. 

“Ben.”

“Hi.”

He's in jeans and a light blue sweater.

Caleb doesn't know what to do with this. 

“I’m sorry I haven’t been in,” Ben says, obviously a little uncomfortable. 

“I…” Caleb starts then stops. He doesn’t know where to go with it. I hadn’t noticed is a lie. “I was wondering what happened to you. Were you on vacation?”

“No, I was away on business.”

“For a month?”

“Trust me, I know. It was a long month but I’m on vacation now to make up for it.”

“So you stopped in for…”

“I missed you,” Ben says, the words stringing together. “I missed seeing you. It was a long month. Without you.”

Caleb feels hot all over. He knows there are at least half a dozen other people in the store who will need his help but all he can see is Ben standing in front of him being bold in the way he himself should have been months ago. He forgets all about the girlfriend. 

“I don’t know what to do with myself,” Ben continues. “I rarely ever get time off and I know you’re probably still busy so I’ll go.”

“You can stay. You can help me in back if you want. Anna can handle the front.”

“I don’t know anything about this.”

“Neither did I at first but I can show you.”

“So where exactly were you on business? Or can you not tell me?”

“I was in France at first. Then Germany, Poland, Sweden, and then Denmark and the Netherlands. I thought of you when we were in Holland with all the tulips. I almost sent you a postcard.”

“You should have.” 

“Well,” He looks up from the rose he’s working on. “Maybe next time.”

“What kind of boring, government job calls for that kind of trip and where do I apply?”

“I have a confession to make.”

“Really?”

“It’s about my job.”

“You lied to me about your job?”

“It’s not a lie, really. I work for the government but I didn’t tell you the whole truth. Who I work for, exactly.”

Caleb sets down the block of floral foam he’s been soaking as Ben takes a deep breath.

“I work at the White House.”

Caleb blinks. 

“I’m an aide. To the president.”

“You told me your job was boring.”

“It is. Sometimes.”

“You follow the president around all day.”

“Yes, and I stand outside while he has meetings and lunches and dinners. I was telling the truth about the coffee and the dry cleaning. I do that. That’s the boring part.”

“But you’re still working for the president. How many countries have you been to? You just went on a multi-country tour.”

“It’s a lot of airports and sleeping in really uncomfortable hotel beds. I would rather have been here,” He snips the end off a stem and hands it over. 

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Security. It’s so tight now no one is supposed to know anything.”

“You’re not supposed to let the people know where the President gets his flowers?”

Ben shrugs. “It’s crazy, I know, but I don’t make the rules. I am fairly low ranking. I was telling the truth about that too.”

“Do you have to kill me now?”

That startles a laugh out of him. “Why would you think that?”

“Because you told me all that.”

“I’m not going to kill you. No one is going to kill you. You’re safe, I promise.”

“You know we did deliver to the White House before.”

“I know. It’s in your records.”

“My records?”

“I had to run a background check on you. I couldn’t buy flowers for the White House without making sure you were legit. Everything is scrutinized nowadays. I need to make sure you weren’t importing rare and protected flowers from Hawaii or Costa Rica or New Zealand, and that you were up on your taxes and you weren’t a front for the mob or something.”

“I’m not a front for the mob.”

“Yeah, I know that now. You don’t exactly look like your typical florist.” 

Caleb watches as he snips the stems of a few more flowers. He catches his thumb against a thorn and pulls back with a soft ‘ow’. 

“You don’t have to keep doing this. I know it has to be boring compared to what you actually do.”

“No, I like it, it’s...peaceful. No one is yelling at me that their coffee isn’t hot enough.”

“Just wait until you accidentally read an order wrong and get yellow tulips mixed up with red tulips and a bride and her mother rip into you.”

“They get that upset over one mistake?”

“Weddings are a big thing. It can screw with the color scheme. Plus some of the brides are really into symbolism.”

“What do you mean?”

“They like to research what the flowers mean. Red tulips mean a declaration of love while yellow ones can mean hopeless love. Big difference there. I can understand why they wouldn’t want to be carrying them down the aisle.”

“What do all these mean?”

“Well,” He picks the rose out of Ben’s hand. “Red roses means love and passion. That’s why they’re so popular to give to people. Daisies represent innocence, zinnias are lasting affections, and calla lilies mean beauty.”

“You gave those to me, once, didn’t you?”

“Yup.”

“What about the last one you made for me. They were pink. My mom had them when I was growing up.”

“Azaleas.”

“Yeah, that’s it. What meaning do those have?”

“You give them to someone that you think is stressed as a reminder to take care of themselves.”

“You think I need to take care of myself? You think I’m stressed?”

“Yes, always.”

“Even now?”

Caleb looks him over. He looks at his jeans and his sweater and the way he’s sitting on the stool, one foot swinging back and forth and the other propped up against the leg. He’s twirling a rose in one hand and supporting his head with the other, elbow bent on the table. 

“No, right now you look pretty relaxed.”

“That’s because I’m on vacation,” He stretches the rose high above his head. “And a well deserved one.”

“If you say so.”

Ben kicks Caleb’s stool and he has to grab onto the table to keep himself from falling off the side. 

“So, what about the rest? What do the other flowers mean? The violets; you gave me white and blue, does that change the meaning? You also gave me gardenias, what do those mean?” 

“Blue violets represent faithfulness, white represent courage.”

“What did I need courage for?”

“That one was actually directed at me,” He mumbles, focusing all his attention on the flowers in front of him. He’s starting to sweat and Ben is starting to lean in closer. 

“What did you need it for?”

“Doesn't matter, I didn’t do it.” 

“What about the others?” He kicks at Caleb’s chair again, softer this time but more insistent. “The gardenias and whatever the first flower you gave me was.”

“Gloxinias.”

“Right. Everyone loved those. What do those mean?”

“It’s really not important. It’s not hard science or anything. They could have a hundred different meanings, it’s all about how you interpret it.”

“How did you interpret it?”

“I told you, it’s not important.”

“If you don’t tell me I can just look it up,” He starts to reach into his pocket for his phone but Caleb leans across the space to grab his arm. 

“Gardenia,” he hangs his head, “Represent a secret love.”

He looks up when he hears Ben take a small breath. 

“And gloxinias represent love at first sights.”

“Why did you give me those?” Ben asks as Caleb thinks what do you want from me? 

“Did you give me those on purpose?” 

Ben’s sitting incredibly close to him now. He has his feet hooked around the bottom of Caleb’s chair so he can’t move away. 

“No.”

Ben puts his hand on Caleb’s wrist. 

“I didn’t, not at first. Maybe it was subconscious. I mean, I had a crush on you. I have a crush on you, if we're being honest so I guess I did mean it but.” 

“Oh my god,” Ben leans in the rest of the way and says “just shut up,” before he kisses him. Caleb let's it happen. This is what he's been wanting. Then his senses kick in and he's leaning back. 

“What are you doing?”

“I'm kissing you. I thought that's what you wanted? Dammit, did you not want me to?” 

“You have a girlfriend. I can't do this.”

“I don't have a girlfriend.” 

“You bought flowers for her.”

“I haven't had a girlfriend since the 9th grade.”

“You bought flowers for her on Valentine's Day. I think you should go.” 

“Valentine's day? Oh no, no, no. I don't have a girlfriend, those flowers were for my bosses wife.”

“Your boss? You work for the president.”

“Yes.”

“So those flowers were for….”

“The First Lady.”

Caleb drops the scissors he’s holding.

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

“The First Lady was holding my flowers?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my god. Oh my god. Jesus, I think you were right to not tell me.”

“I did tell you. Did you not hear me? Sometimes I lose service but I thought you heard everything.”

Caleb rubs his hand across his face. 

“Washington forgot Valentine’s Day, mainly because he was so busy planning that trip and I forgot to remind him because let's be honest, I’m the one that was actually planning that trip so he went into a panic and I had to figure something out. Why did you think I was copying down the note so carefully. I had to make it look like his handwriting. Luckily I’m pretty good at it so she didn’t notice the difference and I didn’t get fired.”

“You’re good at forging the president’s signature.”

“Not his signature, just his handwriting.”

“Because that makes it better?”

“It came in handy, didn’t it? God, I can’t believe you thought I had a girlfriend. I have been flirting with you this whole time,” He squeezes Caleb’s shoulder. “How many flowers do you think The White House needs?”

“They didn’t all go there?”

“Some of them did but then I just wanted to see you so I kept buying them and bringing them home. My apartment is filled with them.”

“You came in and bought flowers just to have a reason to see me? Why didn’t you just ask me out?”

“I did ask you out.”

“You asked me to get a drink.”

“Yeah, that was me asking you out and when I came back the next day you said you were too busy talk so I thought that was you saying you were too busy to go out with me. I let it drop.”

“I thought you meant as a friend. I couldn’t do that to myself. What if you wanted to talk about your girlfriend? What if you brought her?”

He holds both of Caleb’s hands between his own. “I don’t have a girlfriend and my offer for a drink still stands. Or dinner. Whatever you want and whenever you have time.”

“Why didn’t you ask me out before?”

“Why didn’t you?”

“You seemed so busy. I didn’t think you’d have time.”

“I would have made time. I still want to make time. So,” he squeezes his hands. “What do you say?”

“Is your apartment is really filled with flowers?” 

“Yeah, do you want to see it?”

“That is a terrible line. But yes,” He kisses him again. “Yes I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please don't fact check my flower meanings.


End file.
